Uganda’s Cabinet has approved the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) as the country’s Tax Identification Number (TIN), in a move intended to simplify tax registration, improve taxpayer tracking and strengthen revenue collection.
The decision was reached during a Cabinet meeting held at State House Entebbe on August 31, according to the Government of Uganda.
Under the new arrangement, the NIN issued by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) will serve as the identification number for tax-related transactions, replacing the existing system in which taxpayers are issued separate TINs.
Justine Kasule Lumumba, Minister of ICT and National Guidance, said the change is intended to address weaknesses that have emerged from Uganda’s largely manual and separate tax-registration system.
“For years, our tax registration system has relied on a separate, largely manual TIN-based process,” Lumumba said. “It has served its purpose, but it has also left us with outdated and inconsistent records, and that creates real weaknesses in data accuracy, compliance, and service delivery.”
She said linking taxation to the national identification system would give government a more consistent record of taxpayers and make it easier for different government databases to communicate with one another.
“By adopting the NIN as the tax identification number, we are establishing one consistent identity for every taxpayer,” Lumumba said.
According to the minister, the reform will strengthen the accuracy of the taxpayer register and improve the government’s ability to identify and trace taxpayers.
“It will help us improve compliance, reduce revenue leakage, and make it simpler for citizens to register and communicate with the tax authorities,” she said.
The decision effectively brings two major pillars of the state’s identification architecture—national identity and taxation—closer together.
For years, Ugandans have had to navigate multiple identification requirements when dealing with government agencies. The TIN, administered through the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), has been required for a range of tax and financial transactions, while the NIN has increasingly become the government’s central identifier for citizens and residents.
Cabinet’s decision seeks to eliminate part of that duplication.
Lumumba also said the integration would improve the government’s ability to obtain a clearer picture of taxpayers’ economic activities, including income generated outside Uganda.
“It will also give us visibility into worldwide income,” she said, adding that the reform would strengthen Uganda’s national identification system and improve government planning and service delivery.
The government expects the change to reduce the administrative burden on citizens because individuals will no longer have to maintain a separate identification number specifically for taxation.